Saturday September 21, 2024 | ESQUIMALT, BC
BC ELECTION CAMPAIGN DAY 1 of 28
Political feature interview by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
She already known as a health-care advocate, including having received an award from the Doctors of BC for her advocacy during the ongoing doctor shortage in BC.
She is the mother of two teens, and runs a small business with her husband Shawn in the west shore area of Greater Victoria.
Her teens need constant medical care. When the family lost their family doctor in 2022 that set Currie in forward-motion on the provincial health-care political trail.
After running and losing in the heavily-defended Langford-Juan de Fuca by-election in June 2023, Currie seemed a bit depleted, though she said she would run again for the BC Greens.
In this 2024 provincial general election Currie is running in Esquimalt-Colwood. That’s an interesting riding — new to the electoral boundaries map (reflecting population growth in the region in Colwood, Esquimalt, View Royal and Vic West), and lately quite up-and-down in terms of who else is running there.
The population includes military near the Esquimalt DND base, low-income families, high-income property householders, a burgeoning suburban population in Colwood’s Royal Bay neighbourhood, and large established businesses. The riding borders downtown Victoria as much as it does the west shore.
Consistent campaign:
Currie points that out as a positive indicator for her campaign: launched, moving ahead, stable and strong in her goal to represent the population-dense urban riding of 58,356 people packed into 53 sq km. Next to Victoria-Swan Lake, geographically it’s the smallest riding on Vancouver Island.
By comparison, first the BC United candidate was off the riding map (when BC United Leader Kevin Falcon pulled the plug on August 28). Then the BC NDP lost their high-profile candidate Mitzi Dean right at the end of August (though they had first-term Esquimalt municipal councillor Darlene Rotchford chosen for Esquimalt-Colwood just a week later).
Then just recently the BC Conservatives finally announced their candidate as long-time high-profile business man John Wilson, who is new to politics but well-known in business, tourism and team sports.
Currie feels she knows the riding best. She’s been door-knocking for months and holding coffee-meetings and other interpersonal contact with constituents around the riding.
She says that with BC United out of the way that a “new set of opportunities” opened for her campaign, including endorsement from the former BC United candidate Meagan Brame who is well-known in Esquimalt (having served on Esquimalt municipal council for 14 years).
Door-knocking insights:
At the door step Currie is hearing that people want an “effective opposition” in the BC Legislature. That idea “resonates well with people” because it would be more than “just a two-party system”.
“People want to know that a democratic process is happening,” said Currie.
Health-care concerns:
“Health care is still a top topic for a lot of people at the door,” she says. Solutions have been tried by the BC NDP government but positive results aren’t seen to be happening: “We can’t do that anymore” is what the BC Green candidate hears at the door.
In particular she says the Urgent Primary Care Centre (UPCC) model hasn’t worked as intended — the facilities don’t provide attachment to providers of primary care; many people are left without a family doctor even after visiting a UPCC for care. “Primary care was 50% of the goal — with ‘primary’ in the name — but they’ve reverted on that,” says Currie.
Currie also hears concerns about densification of housing in the riding as well as what could be described as a ‘disconnect’ between the municipality and the province, she told Island Social Trends.
She hopes to see municipalities working more in conjunction with the province on social programs, health-care, education and child care, even as most municipalities would now say that there is too much ‘downloading’ of provincial responsibilities onto local governments and communities.
Demographics:
Currie says the adding Vic West into the former Esquimalt-Metchosin riding mix adds more households with a higher socioeconomic level. The Esquimalt-Colwood riding covers “whole range” of incomes.
There is also a broad age demographic including youth, young adults with families, and multi-generational families.
Seniors are fearful on fixed incomes, she says. The BC NDP government did recently increase the maximum rent threshold for the SAFER (seniors rent support) program, but the Greens would push for more.
Representation:
Camille Currie is aligned with the BC Green mantra in this election that people should be voting for the candidate — the person — who they feel can best represent them in the BC Legislature, not just along party lines.
Party Leader Sonia Furstenau takes that one step further in this campaign, often referring to the power and importance of independent candidates across several ridings and how helpful it might be to elect them. It’s unclear how BC Green candidates are responding to that.
The BC Green party on principle does not ‘whip’ its MLAs to vote along party lines in the legislature.
“People want a candidate who’s ready to stand up and speak for them—and that’s exactly what I’m here to do,” says Currie.
===== RELATED:
- BC Greens campaign kickoff in Victoria Sept 21 (September 21, 2024)
- John Wilson could achieve an upset in Esquimalt-Colwood (September 12, 2024)
- BC Green candidate Camille Currie endorsed by former Esquimalt-Colwood BC United candidate (September 11, 2024)
- Summertime Victoria office party for South Vancouver Island BC Greens (August 2, 2024)
- Camille Currie to run again for BC Greens in October 2024 (June 24, 2023)
- Camille Currie responds to Weaver endorsing BC NDP candidate (June 14, 2023)
- BC Greens launch their Langford-Juan de Fuca candidate (April 6, 2023)
- NEWS SECTIONS: BC GREENS | BC PROVINCIAL ELECTION 2024 | POLITICS